From the opening tip on the road at West Virginia, there was a since of urgency from an Oklahoma basketball team that had lost four in a row. The Sooners men’s basketball team answered the bell, securing a 72-62 victory over the West Virginia Mountaineers Wednesday night at the WVU Coliseum in Morgantown. The Sooners […]
Sooners steal a turnover-filled victory from the Mountaineers in Morgantown.
The Oklahoma Sooners men’s basketball team put an end to a four-game slide Wednesday night with a 72-62 victory over the West Virginia Mountaineers in Morgantown. The win brought OU’s overall record to 13-7 and 3-5 in Big 12 play.
The Sooners and Mountaineers collaborated on a contest that often looked like a weekend matchup at the local gym between elementary school teams. There was lots of falling. Passes flew around the court to no one in particular, and catching the ball was the ball cleanly was far from a given. Balls caromed out of bounds off dribblers’ feet. Layups were thrown over the rim, while free throws banked off the backboard.
In the end, OU’s top guns proved too much for West Virginia to handle. Big man Tanner Groves pumped in 21 points on 9-of-11 shooting from the field. He also led the Sooners with six rebounds. Forward Jacob Groves and guard Umoja Gibson each chipped in 12 points for the game.
Coach Porter Moser’s team got a major boost at the free-throw line, knocking down 21 of 22 attempts for the game. The Sooners also enjoyed a 32-26 edge in total rebounds over the hardscrabble Eers, who played the choppy brand of basketball that has become a calling card of legendary coach Bob Huggins. The teams combined for 32 turnovers in the game.
Even though it was one to forget for Huggy Bear, one of West Virginia’s favorite sons was actually coaching in his 500th game as head coach of the Mountaineers since he took the job in 2007. The milestone would have felt even worse for Huggins if forward Gabe Osabuohien hadn’t played his best game of the season. The reserve from Canada set a new career high in points with 17 to lead the Eers.
Even so, WVU’s struggles on the offensive end left the team at the mercy of the Sooners, who showed a knack for exploiting the Mountaineers’ aggressiveness on defense. Only six of OU’s 23 made field goals came from outside the lane, as the team made a point of taking WVU defenders off the dribble and attacking the rim.
Unfortunately, OU’s team won’t have much time to celebrate the upset road win. The Sooners head to Alabama next to tangle with the No. 1 team in the country, the Auburn Tigers, as part of this weekend’s Big 12-SEC challenge. After that interlude, they get back to taking on conference opponents with a home date against the TCU Horned Frogs.
There is no denying that Oklahoma football is one of the biggest brands in college football. According to a recent analysis by College Football News, the Sooners is No. 1 all-time in the Associated Press poll era. With 928 all-time wins, the Sooners are the fifth winningest teams historically, and that record is even better […]
Oklahoma vs West Virginia Odds: Line, Spread, Over/Under Oklahoma looks to snap a four-game skid tonight as they travel to West Virginia tonight at 7:00 PM CST. WynnBET has the Sooners as 2-point underdogs and +105 on the moneyline (bet $10 to win $10.50) while the over-under is set at 130. Will the Sooners get […]
Oklahoma football head coach Brent Venables has filled another immediate need with the help of the transfer portal. Former TCU offensive tackle Tyler Guyton committed to Oklahoma on Tuesday. The 6-foot, 7-inch 312-pound Guyton is the second offensive lineman the Sooners have acquired this offseason via the transfer route and the 10th player to join […]
Something has to give as the men’s Oklahoma basketball team gets set to face West Virginia on the road in Morgantown on Wednesday night. Both programs come into the game mired in multi-game losing skids. Oklahoma’s loss at home to Baylor on Saturday was the Sooners fourth consecutive conference loss, while West Virginia (13-5, 2-4) […]
